Alone?
by graciemay94
Summary: GALEX Oneshot for the 'OMG Challenge'. Gene and Alex are discussing marriage, being alone and their pasts...  Secret theme isn't amazingly central - sorry!


**Hello! I'm struggling for inspiration for Another Drunken Mistake, so I decided to pop this one-shot out for the OMG challenge! It's only short and only a one-shot as I don't have time to keep up with two full-blown fics I'm afraid, but please review! Hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ashes to Ashes, sadly.**

"It's nice, isn't it."

"What?" Gene's gruff voice muttered a reply.

"Shaz and Chris."

"What about them?"

"They're in love... and happy." Alex replied absentmindedly, her eyes gazing across the room towards where Sharon Granger and Christopher Skelton were sat, their heads close together.

"Sickening." Gene retorted, sipping his beer.

"Only because you're middle-aged and alone, Gene."

"Thank you for that reminder Bolls."

"I didn't think you minded being alone." She turned her eyes to look at him next to her, her eyebrows raised.

"I don't."

"Oh you do really though, don't you." She let the corner of her mouth lift into a teasing smile.

"Lone wolf Bolls. I've tried the marriage thing before and it's shit." He commented bitterly. Alex was momentarily silenced, taking a sip of her wine before replying.

"Maybe it was shit because you were married to the wrong person, Gene." She said it softly, her dulcent voice enough to send anyone into a relaxed trance. "I certainly was. I don't think it was marriage's fault so to speak, more his capability to be a first class wanker."

"Every man can be a wanker."

"Ha! So true." Alex laughed at his sincerity, putting down her glass.

"So yer divorced the bastard cos he was a bit of a wanker at times? God yer hard to please aren't yer Bolls." He commented, smirking ever so slightly.

"No, correction- I divorced him because he cheated. Twice." She bit back at him quickly. Gene raised his eyebrows in surprise; he couldn't for the life of him think of why a man would ever consider for a moment cheating on Alex Drake. She was surely everything a man wanted in a woman... she was certainly everything _he_ wanted in a woman, that was for sure. This man must have been an utter twat. Or, incapable of controlling where his little soldier goes. Gene assumed both were true - for a man who can't control himself is automatically an utter twat in his books.

"Oh," Gene answered eventually. "Whatta bastard."

"Mhm." Alex nodded in agreement. "Over it now though, it's been years." She added, almost chirpily. "And what happened to your marriage then, Gene?" She eventually asked, assuming she wouldn't even get an answer.

"If it's possible to just simply fall out of love, then yep - that. Either that or I just never loved 'er in the first place. Probably more likely to be honest, she was always a cow."

"Oh," Alex swallowed, feeling suddenly slightly awkward as they delved into Gene's personal life - something that had never quite been mentioned before, certainly not to this depth.

"Anyway, why do I need marraige?" He asked himself. "I got CID haven't I. The team. The force. And you." There was a small pause between the last two words. Small enough not to be noticed by an outsider, but large enough to send butterflies into Alex's stomach. Gene glugged back the last of his beer, hoping to drink back the awkward silence that had consumed them both.

"Do you not get scared, Gene?" Alex questioned after a long pause.

"About what Bolly? Gene Genie scared? Bullshit." He turned towards her, his piercing blue eyes gazing straight into hers.

"Dying alone." She added, the tiniest flash of worry appearing in her hazel eyes.

"I'm not alone, Bolls."

"Yes you are, we both are." Alex replied blankly, feeling suddenly quite sombre about the whole idea.

"No, no we aren't." He insisted. She looked up to him, almost angrily.

"Gene, my daughter is so far away I don't even know how to get back to her. My marriage ended years ago and the only men in my life since are one named Jacob Creek and another named Tom Collins!" She was getting ever so slightly hysterical, it may have been the drink talking.

"Oh come on.."

"No!" She slammed the table with her hand. "I'm stuck in this godforsaken place, _alone_!" She reached for her glass but was quickly prevented from doing so by Gene, who swept it away with one movement. "And it's crap!" Gene's eyes widened, not knowing quite what to do - as if he was perfectly honest, he wasn't entirely sure what she was talking about. "I'm stuck in a muddy Niagara without a bloody paddle!"

"You're beginning to sound like me Bolly. Metaphors." She halted at the gentle tone of his voice, catching his eye. She sighed deeply, realising she'd let this go ever so slightly out of hand. As usual.

"Sorry." Alex shook her head. "Sorry sorry sorry." She repeated again, annoyed at herself. He looked around awkwardly as she consoled herself. "I ought to just shut up and enjoy myself while I'm here, shouldn't I?" She looked up at him for help. He nodded once.

"Best way to do things Bollykecks." He moved closer to her without realising, Alex didn't notice. "Yer don't wanna get tied down with rubbish like that when you've got scum to catch and booze to drink. I can't have yer getting all distracted, can I?" He was close now, yet still neither noticed - it felt way too natural.

"No, of course not." Alex replied softly, her voice quiet.

"Unless-" He stopped.

"What?"

"You're distracted by someone else other than Jacob Creek and Tom Collins..." He was close now, very close. They were both leaning towards eachother without even realising. It was only when Alex could feel his breath on her own face that the intimacy of the moment dawned on her. She daren't move any closer in fear of ruining it. This sort of moment between them didn't happen as often as she would have liked, and she always managed to cherish them in her memory for as long as possible.

"And who would that person be, Gene?" He loved it when she said his name like that. She barely spoke it, more _breathed_ it, and it had capabilities of which he assumed would be rather similar to that of certain drugs.

"Well... I for one wouldn't mind you getting slightly distracted by a certain copper..." She tried and failed to stop herself from smiling.

"And what 'certain copper' would this be then?" She answered playfully. He swallowed, Alex watching his Adam's Apple move slowly in his throat before lifting her eyes up to his. They certainly seemed closer now than they had a few seconds ago. Was he moving closer to her? Alex still didn't move.

"Well, in the words of Alex Drake he's 'middle-aged and alone'..." Alex bit her lip, teasing him beyond belief. She didn't answer, just gave a small 'mhm', her eyes never leaving his. She was determined to let him have the first move, if the 'first move' ever came. "He's tall... drives very well... devastatingly handsome, too." Gene continued, smirking at the game. Alex raised her eyebrows at this comment. "And... he's got this beautiful DI sitting right in front of him." That was it. That sentence initiated everything. They no longer cared that they were in Luigi's, in a perfectly public place, in front of colleagues. Nothing else mattered apart from their pure existence, here, together. Their lips locked in perfect harmony, as if they were made for eachother. It was full of lust and desire. My god, they'd both been waiting years for this moment, and it showed. Alex's hand was threaded through Gene's blonde hair whilst he was lightly touching her face and back with his. It felt like forever before they stopped for breath. Their foreheads touched as Alex giggled breathlessly.

"He's a good kisser too, this copper." She murmured gently, before kissing him again once on the lips and giggling softly as they stood up and headed upstairs, hands locked tightly in each other's.


End file.
